A joke about an alternate meaning for the acronym of my bike club This is a thread for the delightful eateries we encounter on the road/trail.

I'll kick it off with a delicious place in the small town of Trentham - Red Beard Bakery, makers of fine sour-dough bread and other bakery treats, with a warm cafe and they also do tours of their historic bakery. Their bakery has been operating for over 100 years and is now a yeast-free zone. They are located down a side lane off the main street of Trentham.

Redbeard make great bread il Padrone!!! Used to be able to get it at our local farmers market but alas no longer.

If anyone out there likes great sourdough, try Firebrand bakery in Glen Eira Rd Riponlea. I often drop past when I am in the big smoke-well worth the deviation. In particular, their olive bread is just amazing They also have a really interesting oven if you get a chance to have a look.

I cant get over just how many less than stellar bakeries are out there. Much of the pies/sausagerolls/cornishpastie etc thatI've had the misfortune to part money for, have been in my opinion, inedible with little or no meat content. My local actually uses decent tasting pastry but their filling........... My impressions of their Cornish Pasty filling was poorly seasoned sawdust without meat content. Not another penny will they receive from my pocket. What excuse could their be for rubbish filling.Their offerings aren't lonely unfortunately but typical of much of the fare seemingly available from many. Much of the bakery staples I've tried in Perth have compared unfavorably with Adelaide (in particular) and Sydney (except the no go areas).As for whats the meat content of a Mrs Mac sausage roll??? as I wont ever be partaking of another one, I dont much care.When you cycle to Adelaide from the Mildurah along the Stuart Hwy, theres this huge hill that needs pushing up. You come to this little town where the story was bodies found in a bank in drums(?) if I remember correctly - no matter. Theres a bakery! They do magnificent Cornish Pasties which I had to sit and eat two. I left but having gotten about 100 meters down the road I turned around and went back to grab another two to take with me.

rifraf wrote:Theres a bakery! They do magnificent Cornish Pasties which I had to sit and eat two. I left but having gotten about 100 meters down the road I turned around and went back to grab another two to take with me.

SA was the destination of many Cornish tin miners, so it's to be expected that you can get a decent Cornish pastie there.

On another thread I've already given a rap for the lamb and rosemary pies at Espresso Depot in Buninyong (eat in not take away). these are made by a tiny producer who makes small batches up each day and they taste great. If coming to the road national championships in January (or any other time), Gerard at Espresso Depot makes the best coffee in Buninyong, a good selection of cakes etc (I can personally recommend the friands and raspberry and white chocolate muffins ). there is a reason my power to weight ratio on hills is so bad

In Ballarat itself, a great selection of cakes (made on premise) at The Turret in Sturt St near the Hospital, coffee is VERY good; but

the best coffee and cakes are to be had at L'Espresso in Sturt St (cake selection is always broader on a Saturday rather than Sunday, also made in house). Best Lemon Tart (made in house) at Europa Cafe a few doors down from L'Espresso, andBest Breakfast at Cafe Lekker In Doveton St Nth opposite the RACV.

In SA, one of the best pie shops I encountered... no, the best, was the Stone Hut Bakery in the tiny village of Stone Hut. All varieties of game meats in their pies and they were delicious. I think I had the kangaroo pie.

Besides Bakers Hill we also have the bakery at Bindoon as a lunch destination for cyclists and a favoured checkpoint for Audax. And I'll throw this one at you from my days of pedalling about with the Cycle Touring Assoc in WA: Do we eat to cycle or cycle to eat?

Up in the Dandenongs on the weekend (just east of Melbourne). Did a 40km loop from Berwick, up to Emerald and back via Harkaway to Berwick. A really lovely ride, would probably reverse the direction (like all the other cyclists we spotted had managed to do).

In Emerald, lovely little cafe: Cafe Red Box. Had a very tasty open wrap with lamb, salad and tatziki (could have almost called it a souva ); big slabs of cake (including a Gluten Free Chocolate cake for Mrs C+W) and great coffee (9-9.5/10). Service was friendly and would certainly head back again.

Another great cafe - the Ruffy Produce Store. A regenerated old country general store in a tiny hamlet in the Strathbogie Ranges. They sell a range of local produce (jams, vinegars, wines, bread and the occasional fresh vegies) as well as their marvellous cakes, coffee and various meals.

Who is online

About the Australian Cycling Forums

The largest cycling discussion forum in Australia for all things bike; from new riders to seasoned bike nuts, the Australian Cycling Forums are a welcoming community where you can ask questions and talk about the type of bikes and cycling topics you like.